Clemson falls to Gonzaga in first round of Old Spice Classic

Thursday

Nov 22, 2012 at 12:01 AMNov 23, 2012 at 12:21 AM

By MARK DIDTLERThe Associated Press

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — Elias Harris and Kelly Olynyk each scored 13 points too help No. 17 Gonzaga beat Clemson 57-49 in a first round game Thursday night at the Old Spice Classic.Olynyk was in the starting lineup after missing the previous three games due to a violation of the student code of conduct. The junior forward, who had his first two shots blocked, also had three rebounds.Clemson got 10 points from Adonis Filer. Milton Jennings had six points and eight rebounds.Sam Dower had 11 points for Gonzaga (4-0), which will go against Oklahoma in Friday's semifinals. Clemson (2-1) will face Texas-El Paso in the loser's bracket.David Stockton had an end-to-end layup, while Kevin Pangos and Harris added in-close baskets as Gonzaga went ahead 47-39 with 6 1-2 minutes to play.Harris' 3-point play two minutes later made it 50-41.Olynyk scored four points during a 6-0 run that saw Gonzaga go up 31-30 early in the second half. Olynyk had another basket and Guy Landry Edi added a dunk as the Zags grabbed a 37-33 lead with 12 minutes remaining.Clemson took a 24-23 advantage at the half, which had eight lead changes and three ties.Gonzaga had the final five points in the first half, including a buzz-beating tip-in by Olynyk.Damarcus Harrison's 3-pointer gave Clemson a 24-18 lead two minutes before the break. The Tigers scored the first four points of the game and went up 8-5 on a Rod Hall basket.Pangos' layup put Gonzaga ahead 11-10 with nine minutes left in the first half. The Zags missed 9 of their first 10 shots, and went 9 for 27 (33 percent) during the opening half.Clemson was 10 of 29 (34.5 percent) from the floor over the first 20 minutes.